Expanding tool



April 26, 1938. D QCK 2,115,251

EXPANDING TOOL Filed Nov. 23, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY April 26,1938. BUCK 2,115,251

EXPANDING TOOL Filed Nov. 25, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //Y VE/Y TO/E zaea:Z7. BUCK ATTOE/YE Patented Apr. 26, 1938 UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3Claims.

My invention relates to expanding tools, and has for its principalobject to produce such a tool that is simple in design and construction,and highly efficient in its operation. Another object is to produce sucha tool so that access to dimcult locations may be readily obtained andthe operation of the tool be unaffected thereby.

Partition walls in buildings are usually of such construction, beingformed of plaster board, tile, marble, or the like, that it is dimcultto attach fittings thereto, such as soap dispensers, junction boxes,towel cabinets, and the like. In many such cases tubular expandinganchors are employed, the anchor passing through a perforation made inthe wall, and afterwards the anchor is expanded, thereby providing asupporting member in said partition wall to which the device to bemounted on the wall may be secured, preferably by a screw or threadedbolt. Ordinarily a series of such anchors is employed, so that a securesupport may be obtained. In the use of my device a tubular anchor isattached to said device and then passed through a hole made in thepartition wall to receive it, and then my device is manipulated toexpand the anchor, such expansion taking place on the inner side of saidwall and the anchor being thereby securely held in fixed position. Mytool is then detached from the expanded anchor and withdrawn, when saidanchor may be utilized as the supporting member for the device tobemounted on said wall.

For purposes of illustration, I have shown in one of the views of theannexed drawings a junction box with one anchor in place, duly expanded,and another anchor in position with my tool applied thereto, ready to beexpanded. By this method a device having a relatively thin at,- tachingwall may be securely placed in position on a. thin partition wall. v

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my expanding tool.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the head end of my expanding tool insection, taken on the line 2--2, Fig. 4. I

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in section; taken on the line 3-4 of Fig. 2,lookingin the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, top plan view of the head of my expanding toolwith some of theparts in dotted outline.

Fig. 5 is a view, partly in section, of v a junction box placed aga nsta partition wall with one tubular anchor in expanded condition to securesaid junction box in position and one tubular anchor in unexpandedcondition in position to be expanded with my expanding tool, which isshown attached to said unexpanded anchor and ready for the expandingoperation.

In the drawings the head III of my expanding I tool is formed with ahorizontal passageway H 5 therethrough adjacent its upper end. Ears l2,projecting downwardly from the head ID, are

"provided with slots l2 and I, through which slots project bolts l5 andvII, respectively. The bolts l5 and II pass through perforations inrounded projections IT and II at the upper end of a movable handle IS.The bolt It serves as the pivotal support for the movable handle I, andthe slot ll permits a sliding movement of said bolt II as the handle i9is manipulated. The function of the bolt l5 will be hereinafterdescribed.

To the inner portion of the head I! is fixed a handle 20 secured to saidhead by a screw 2|. A flat spring 22 is bent as at 23 and attached tothe handle I! by the screwbolt 24. The outer end of the spring 22engages the handle 20, as clearly shown in Fig; l. The purpose of thespring 22 is to normally keep the handles it and 25 in separatedposition.

In the passageway ii there is mounted a bar 25 .of rectangular shape incross-section. This bar 25 has a longitudinal passageway 25 therethroughto receive a cylindrical rod 21. The rod 21 is provided with acircumferential groove 22 near one end thereof to receive two pins 29entering said groove for the purpose of retaining the rod 21 securely inthe passageway 26. The pins 29 are apertured at their outer ends toreceive a yoke 25 passing through said apertures, said yoke beingloosely placed about the bar '25. Ratchet teeth 2i are provided on thelower face of the bar 25, said teeth being of saw-tooth construction. Toone end of therod 21 is aillxed a knurled turning member 52 forthepurpose of rotating said rod 21. Screwed into the upper-face ofthebar 25 is a plug 33, which plug is positioned ina slot 34 provided inthe outer wall of the head Ill. The purpose of the plug 22 in the slot34 is to limit the horizontal movement of the bar 25 in the head l5.Fixed in the front'end of the passageway in the head I0 is another bar35, which has a longitudinal passageway 36 therethrough to receive therod 21. The bar 35 preferably extends for a distance beyond the headIll, so that the outer face 21 of said bar 35 may be employed for theexpanding operation hereafter to be described, particularly wheremy toolmust operate efliciently in positions diflicult of access.

shown in Fig. 2.

The outer end of the rod 21 is screw-threaded as shownrat II. Ayoke-shaped member 22 is mountedon the head II and provided withapertures to receive the bolt IS. The connecting web of the yoke-shapedmember engages at one edge the teeth I! on the bar 2!. The yokeshapedmember II is held in engagement with the toothed face of the bar 2! by aspring 4|, which spring is provided with arms 42 at its outer portion,said arms passing into perforations in the head II to secure said springII "in position and having legs abutting the edges oi. handle 20 asshown. This permits a rocking motion of the yoke-shaped member itagainst the action of thespring II when the handle II is manipulated foroperating the bolt II and the yoke ll. It will be noted that the bolt IIis adapted for horisontal movement in the head vll by being mounted inthe elongated slot It. It will be seen in Fig. 2 that the inner end ofthe bar 28 contacts with the inner end of the bar II, said bar 2| beingat the limit of its inner movement as In Fig. 5 I have illustrated' themethod of utilization oi my expanding tool, in which A is thepartitionwall, 13 a Junction box, and C a tubular anchor in expanded conditionsecuring the upper portion oi the Junction box 13 to the partition'wallA. It will be understood that periorations have been prepared intheiunction box Band the partition wall A to receive the tubular anchor0. Near the lower portion 01' thejuncgated bodysD having aheaded end E.The other i end of the expanded anchor C is reduced in dithe outer endof the bar 28. nae-tubular an- I chor is then passed'through theapertures proand. the fltting,,such as the Junction box B, at

ameter as at I", the reduced portion being interiorly screw-threaded toreceive the screwthreaded end ll 01' the rod 21. The expanding anchorCis provided with longitudinalslots G ands series ot'periorations H,so-that when pressure is applied by my expanding tool said anchor willcollapse and expand into the position shown at the upper portion ot'theview in Fig. 5.

' In the operation of my device, the tubular anchorC is first threadedonto the rod 21 with the head Eoi saidanchor impinging against v'idedfor its reception in the partition wall A which time the parts of theexpanding tool appear in the position illustrated in, Fig. 5. Thehandles ll and"v are then grasped by the operator and the handle I!manipulated to force said handle I! inwardly toward the-handle 2.against the action oi the? spring 22, which'oauses the projectingportion ill to pivot about the'bolt ll, thus tending to move upwardlythe projection I'I carrying with it the bolt is which moves the yokemember "outwardly. The connecting web ll. oi said yoke member, beingengaged at one anchor C which is engaged by the threaded end side withthe teeth lion'the bar II, foroes sald bar outwardly, carryingwith itthe rod 21 and the threaded, reduced, portion of the tubular ll of therod 21.

As the outer end of the bar" rests against the. outer portion of thehead E oi the'tubular. anchor C, the tubularanchor is held firmly in theposition illustrated in Fig. 5. Continued a movement of the handle I!toward thehandle 2.

' necting members for duced portion oi. the tubular anchor C. When thetubular anchor C has been expanded to its desired extent, the rod 21 .isdetached from the tubular anchor by manipulation of the knurled member22 to detach the threaded end a of the rod 21 from the threaded, reducedportion of the tubular anchor C.

In Fig. 5 the extendedbar "is illustrated to show the applicability ofmy expanding toolto a diflerent location, with the tool in operativecondition.

I claim: 1. An expanding tool comprising a ,head,'a slidable bar mountedin said head, said bar being provided with a longitudinal 1 IL a rodmounted in said longitudinal ay in said slidable bar and movable "withsaid bar, another bar associated with said head and provided with alongitudinal passageway therein to'receive said rod passing looselythrough saidlast-named passageway, a toothed portion provided on saidslidable bar, a member associated with said" toothed portion and adaptedto transmit'movement to'said slidable bar and rod, a fixed handlecarried bysaid'head, and-a movable handle also carried by said head andassociated withsaid' mete]! member for moving said member to transmit amovement to said slidable bar and rod, and con; permitting said movablehandletomove, v T. I

2. An expanding the! comprising a head, a slidable bar mountediin saidhead, said bar being provided with a longitudinal passageway. a rodsecured in said eway and adapted to rotate therein, a member abuttingonelend of said slidable bar and secured to said rod and through whichrotary movement may beimparted to said rod, another bar mounted'in saidhead and provided. with a longitudinal passageway loosely re ceivingsaid rod, a toothed'portlon on saidlslid-v able bar, a member associatedwith said portion, a movable handle carried bysaid head and secured tosaid member for moving member, and a ilxedjhandle also carriedby'md,

head and adapted to cooperate with said movable handle when movementable handle. a

3. an expansion tool comprising a head, a slid,- able bar mounted insaid head, said slidable-bar being provided with'a longitudinal eway,another bar also mounted insaid head and extending outside, said head,said other barbeing provided with'a longitudinal away in s:-

is imparted to saidmovistration with the longitudinal ev l? saidslidable bar, a rod for movement in the longitudinal passageways in saidslidable bar and in said' other bar and movable with said slidable bar,saidrodproiecting' beyond the outer end oi saidother ,a member mountedon said rod and secured one end I oi'said rod and through which rotarymovement may be transmitted to said rod, teeth on one portion of saidslidable bar, a member e 1 teeth, a handle mounted on said-h [andengaging said member to permit imparting slid-' said ing movement tosaid sliding bar, and another handle flxed to said head and co-operatingwith said first-named handle; I I

I cnomsnsuca

